


Blood of Two

by DraconicEngineer



Series: Bonded by Fate [1]
Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Azurrin Week 2016, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Cross-Posted on Tumblr, F/M, Family, Fire Emblem Fates: Revelation, Friendship, Post-Fire Emblem Fates: Revelation, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-02
Updated: 2016-08-02
Packaged: 2018-07-28 20:03:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7654774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DraconicEngineer/pseuds/DraconicEngineer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A nightmare Corrin has leads to him to thinking about some of the problems of the dragon blood he holds. Luckily for him, his wife Azura has the answer he's looking for.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Blood of Two

**Author's Note:**

> For those of you following On the Tides of Fate, Dive is hopefully coming this week. Didn’t like some of the stuff I had written so I’m reworking it. Again, thank you for your support. As always, each and every comment and kudos is appreciated be it praise or constructive criticism. I wasn’t going to miss this cool event so let’s get Azurrin week started! Be sure to check out the official tumblr site at azurrinweek.tumblr.com for more cool stuff like this.

_**Day 1: Bloodline** _

_**Blood of Two** _

“You’ve seen it Corrin. The power of the dragon’s blood inside of you rages within, yet you don’t tap into as much as you should. You know it to be superior but you choose to fight as an inferior human. Embrace your inner strength!”

Corrin stared down his adversary defiantly and found the energy to make a retort. “In this world, no race or species is superior to another. Anankos, I will teach you this or die trying!”

Three of the leviathan dragon’s eyes focused on Corrin and shone with distaste. “Fool. You make a mockery of the godlike power you possess.”

“You may be a true dragon and god, but you’re not invincible.” As Corrin spoke the Omega Yato’s blades whirred quickly and the purple fire that surrounded it burned with a greater intensity. “I’ll be the one to cut you down here and now. Your degenerate mind has caused enough destruction and I will ensure that it causes no more!”

Before the Silent Dragon could make a response, Corrin began the fight and darted towards his foe’s right front claws. They were what kept Anankos gripping the floating island that served as their battlefield and if the prince could knock them off, the dragon wouldn’t be able to accurately attack. Each beat of Anankos’ wings sent a large gust of wind that served to knock Corrin off balance, but the half-dragon was up to the challenge, nimbly adjusting to minimize the winds impact. Anankos wasted no time in changing his strategy and channeled his dragon breath, firing off a large ball of magical energy at Corrin.

The prince was prepared for this and leapt to the side, landing just outside of the deadly explosion. The island tremored several times and Corrin was forced to crouch and drop his left hand to the ground in order to keep his balance. Once the shaking had ceased, he was back on the move. Anankos lifted his left claws and swung at the half-dragon, aiming to block any advance Corrin could make. Corrin looked to the right and his eyes widened in surprise when he saw the god’s effort to hit him. Instinct kicked in and before he knew it, a pair of silver wings had unfurled from his back and spread wide. Partial transformations had come naturally to Corrin over the course of the war and often saved him in times of crisis. This time was no different.

He leapt into the air and used his wings to gain elevation as quickly as possible. Two powerful wing beats later, and he was high in the air, surrounded by the galactic blue background filled with tiny stars. Anankos’ swipe had sailed below him and that had given Corrin the momentum he needed to counter attack. Calling upon his wings one more time, he dove at Anankos and aimed at his original target. Right before he landed, his wings retracted into his back and he focused on transforming his left arm into a draconic lance. Body obeyed mind and the prince now wielded two deadly weapons.

The first strike came with the Omega Yato as Corrin slashed it across the Silent Dragon’s claws, opening several wounds. The second strike swiftly followed as Corrin drove his arm forward and pierced Anankos’ foot. The god growled in pain and retracted the injured foot from the battlefield. For Corrin, it was one down, one to go. Without missing a beat, he ceased his partial transformation and darted toward Anankos’ other claw. The Silent Dragon assaulted him with a barrage of magical fire but Corrin remained undeterred. He had to win this battle. There was no other option.

Though he had been seared by some of the flames, the half-dragon pressed on through the pain. A ball of Anankos’ breath exploded in front of him and he had to stop on a dime. The magical flames licked the front of his body and the immense heat began to burn his skin. There was no way he could go around, so he had one choice; go over. Again, Corrin rapidly transformed his backside and let his wings do the work. But unlike last time, he would not escape the Silent Dragon’s attacks.

Anankos had predicted Corrin’s maneuver and swung his injured foot at the prince. Three of five sharpened claws made clean contact and sent the half-dragon back down to the ground, ripping holes into his wings. The impact was anything but soft and Corrin fell like an iron weight, absorbing the full blow. Corrin’s wings automatically retracted to prevent any further damage and he was left on the ground crumpled in a heap and helpless. Anankos towered over his foe and his red eyes glowed, relishing the upcoming kill.

All Corrin could feel was agony. He still held the Omega Yato, but could barely move his arm to defend himself. With all of his strength, he positioned the legendary blade over his body as best he could in a feeble attempt to block any incoming attacks.  
Anankos let out a guttural laugh before addressing the prince. “You still resist? You are no better than those ignorant humans you ally with. You are no different than them, weak and powerless.”

Corrin rotated his head slightly to face his foe. “There’s still,” the half-dragon had to take deep breath before speaking again, “fight in me yet.” To make his point, Corrin tried to stand, but was unable to hold himself up.

“You cannot fight me. The only way you’d ever win is by fully embracing the dragon inside you and have it take control. Yet all you do is spurn your true power when you have the opportunity to use it. And now, for you ignorance, you shall pay with your life _my son_.”

The prince watched Anankos summon his dragon breath and tried to summon the courage to stand and fight. The agony he felt restricted him from moving any muscle. Escape was not an option. The battle was over. All was lost. All that was left was to close his eyes and embrace the final blow. Corrin waited to be covered in flames and burned alive, but after several seconds he still felt nothing. He dared to open his eyes once more and survey his surroundings.

The world was blurry, but after a few blinks Corrin could make out more of what was around him. He was still in the same position, right arm raised above him in a protective stance, but there was no Omega Yato. Another observation he made was that wherever he lay was illuminated by moonlight. A bedpost came into view in the corner of his eye and that was when everything fell into place.

The Vallite king realized he was in his bedroom, on the floor beside his bed. He quickly realized that the sequence of events prior to the present moment must have been a nightmare and he had fallen out of his bed somehow. Corrin quietly stood up and looked back at the bed. True to his suspicions, his wife Azura lay on the other side, peacefully sleeping. He did not want to disturb her from her rest, so he figured that he should leave the room to calm himself from the latest nightmare.

Corrin tiptoed over to a pair of doors on the side of the bedroom that led to a balcony and carefully opened them without a sound. A bit of fresh air could do no harm when it came to clearing his mind. Once he was on the balcony, he gently closed the doors behind him and let the cool breeze tickle his face and chest. A brief look at the land below reminded him that his nightmare was a dream and nothing more. The kingdom of Valla had been restored, Anankos had been slain, and peace embraced the world. But even though it was just a dream, Corrin couldn’t help but wonder if parts it could be reality some day in the future.

The jarring revelation that Anankos was his father was never easy to digest and he would never forget the moment when Lilith informed him after the war. That fact still left him shocked and unable to think properly, but he couldn’t deny the truth. If Anankos had been a benevolent being whose mind had degraded to the point of insanity and bloodlust, Corrin thought it was possible for him to follow the same road.

He stared down at his hands and focused on transforming them. Not a second later, fingers became claws, sharpened and glinting in the moonlight. What he normally used for reassuring others and giving a gentle touch had now become deadly weapons, perfectly suited to kill and destroy. Corrin hated that about himself sometimes. The human in him had always advocated for peace and kindness, yet the when dragon in him surged, it wanted to destroy everything in its path.

“ _What if I can’t control it one day? What will happen then? Am I cursed to destroy everything I’ve built?_ ” Corrin thought as he stared out into the night sky. The dragonstone that Azura had given him definitely had helped keep that side of him in check, but in moments of extreme stress or danger his instincts and urges overruled any controls. He couldn’t bear to think of what would happen if his dragonstone ever failed. The first memory that popped into his head was the rampage in the town square by Shirasagi Palace but he quickly forced it away. Thinking about the moment where he almost killed his wife was not what he needed right now.

Corrin ended the partial transformation and rested his hands on the balcony railing. This wasn’t the first time his bloodline had caused him to think long and hard about its consequences. His mother’s dying words that revealed he and Azura were cousins were problematic enough, but in the end, they had worked together to overcome any problems and insecurities between the two of them with respect to the issue.

But the issue at hand at present wasn’t a Corrin and Azura problem. This was his problem and his alone. Nobody else in the world harbored Anankos’ blood and he had the task of not becoming the monster that ruined so many lives. Without any intention of doing so, Corrin began thinking aloud.

“Maybe the human part of me will keep me sane. I’m only half-dragon so that works in my favor right? Plus, I don’t have godlike powers like he did. That means-”

“Corrin?” a tired, female voice called out from the now open balcony doors. The king spun around and instantly recognized Azura standing in the doorway. The breeze gently sent her light blue hair swinging back and forth and her white nightgown floated along with it.

“Azura, I thought you were sleeping.”

Azura took a step closer to her husband and looked over him thoroughly. “I was, but I woke up maybe two minutes ago and found you missing. I figured you would probably be out here.”

Corrin smiled back at her. “You figured correctly. Everything’s alright though. I don’t mean to disturb your rest, so you can return to bed if you wish.”

“As much as I’d like to, I can tell that even though everything’s ok, you’re still troubled. I’m here to help you Corrin. I always have and always will be.”

“I know and that’s one of the many reasons I love you Azura. I can’t lie though, I do feel troubled about something. Did you hear me thinking aloud?”

The songstress nodded in affirmation, signaling for Corrin to continue.

“Well I’m sure, that by itself sounded very odd, so let me fill you in on the rest of the story. Earlier tonight I had another nightmare.”

Azura strode forward until she stood next to Corrin and placed an arm over his shoulder. It was a tender touch, one that instantly showed her compassion, love and sympathy towards Corrin. He looked at her with a thankful smile before facing straight forward again.

“I was back at the final battle, fighting Anankos, but this time I lost. In the dream, he kept telling me to embrace my blood’s power and he reminded me of….you know…”

Putting two and two together was easy for Azura. “You’re worried that you may end up like him. And because of your connection with him you feel like there’s a chance you will undo everything we fought for.”

Corrin grimaced and nodded. Azura could see his body tense and gently removed her arm from his shoulder to rub his back. Though it was a simple action, the influence it had on his mood was easily noticeable. Any tension Corrin had disappeared quickly and an aura of calm quickly took its place.

Relieved to see her husband calmed, the songstress took the opportunity to address his concerns.

“Corrin, you and I both know that won’t happen. You and Anankos are not the same person, even if you are bonded by blood.”

“That’s true for right now, but what if…,” the half-dragon had to pause to choose his words carefully, “what if as time passes, I become more like him? If his blood runs in my veins, surely I’ll be prone to the same mental instability later on.”

“Millions of years could pass and you’d still be the same person you are today,” Azura reassured him, “Just because Anankos let his mind falter doesn’t mean you will.”

Corrin turned to face her, concern filling his facial features. “And how do you know that Azura? If I’m the only dragon left and there are no other examples to go from, how can you be so sure?”

Azura looked directly into Corrin’s eyes, amber meeting crimson. She could see multiple emotions running wild in his shining eyes, the deep red contrasting with the night sky. Gently, she raised her right arm and placed it on Corrin’s bare chest where his heart was, closing her eyes as she did so.

“Because inside you beats a human heart of unrivaled kindness and generosity that’s stronger than any draconic instinct. That’s how I know.”

Corrin stayed silent and reveled in the moment. His wife’s gentle, calming touch was again working its magic and for a moment, he could pinpoint the beating of his own heart. The more time that went by, the larger the grateful smile on his face became.

The Vallite Queen broke the silence and continued delivering her message, her hand unmoving.

“I know you well enough to say with certainty that you will never demand thanks or tribute. You will never grow hungry for power, nor will you use your bloodline to claim superiority over others. You will never make the same mistakes that Anankos did.”

“Azura……thank you” Corrin replied, a bit lost for words, “I don’t know where I’d be without you.” For him, that little bit of reassurance went a long way. His wife was right. As long as he stayed true to his values, the human part of him would always supersede the dragon.

Now it was the songstress’s turn to smile. “I’ve always said that fate brought us together and will keep us together. So, I don’t think you really need to be pondering that.”

That elicited a chuckle from Corrin, who took his wife’s arms into his own. “Come here you,” he playfully stated, pulling her into a hug. The gesture was welcomed by both parties, who instantly placed their heads on each other’s shoulders and smiled. A couple seconds later, they broke off the hug and returned to facing each other.

“Azura, I have another thing I need to tell you,” Corrin addressed the songstress.

“Go ahead. I’m listening.”

“I love you so much.”

Azura smiled and laughed, two of the things Corrin loved to see the most. She responded with a simple “I love you too,” and kissed Corrin. The prince wasted no time in accepting the invitation and the two of them let their worries melt away for a moment under the light of the moon.


End file.
